How Long Does Peer Review Take? (Typical Times by Publisher)

June 2026 · 6 min read · ScholarAI

Typical first-decision ranges: Elsevier ~6–14 weeks. Emerald ~10–20 weeks. Springer ~8–16 weeks. Wiley ~8–14 weeks. IEEE ~12–24 weeks. These are commonly reported ranges, not guarantees, and they reflect first decision — not final acceptance, which typically adds several more months of revision rounds.

Waiting for peer review is one of the most stressful experiences in academic publishing. Knowing realistic timelines — and when it's appropriate to follow up — helps researchers plan their publication pipeline more effectively.

Typical Review Timelines by Publisher

These ranges are commonly reported but vary widely by journal, field, and time of year. Treat them as rough expectations, not promises.

Publisher	Desk Decision	First Review Decision	Total to Acceptance
Elsevier	1–14 days	6–14 weeks	4–12 months
Emerald	1–21 days	10–20 weeks	6–18 months
Springer Nature	1–14 days	8–16 weeks	5–14 months
Wiley	1–14 days	8–14 weeks	4–12 months
IEEE	1–21 days	12–24 weeks	6–18 months
Taylor & Francis	1–14 days	8–16 weeks	5–14 months

The Peer Review Process: What's Happening

Submission to desk decision (1–21 days): Editor checks scope fit, similarity score, format compliance
Reviewer invitation (1–3 weeks): Editor identifies and invites 2–3 reviewers; many decline
Review period (4–8 weeks): Reviewers read and evaluate the manuscript
Editor decision (1–2 weeks): Editor synthesizes reviewer comments and makes decision
Revision period (4–12 weeks): Authors revise based on comments
Re-review (2–6 weeks): Revised manuscript re-evaluated, often by same reviewers

When to Follow Up

Following up too early is annoying; following up too late wastes your time. General guidelines: for Elsevier, follow up after 14 weeks with no decision. For Emerald, after 20 weeks. For IEEE, after 24 weeks. Send a polite, one-paragraph email to the handling editor asking for a status update — this is professional and expected.

Why Review Takes Longer Than Expected

Reviewers declining invitations — editors may need to invite 6–10 reviewers to get 2 acceptances
Reviewer deadline extensions — reviewers routinely request 2–4 week extensions
Holiday periods — December–January and July–August are slow months for review
High submission volume — busy journals have longer queues

Maximize Your Chances of Fast Review

Papers that pass desk review faster get reviewed faster. ScholarAI helps you fix the issues that cause delays — similarity, AI detection, format, and scope alignment.

Prepare My Manuscript →